April 19, 2008 – Residents at Marina City felt the earthquake that struck Friday morning in southern Illinois. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake measured 5.2 on the Richter Scale, striking at 4:36 a.m. near West Salem, Illinois. It lasted less than a minute, with no significant damage.

Mark Ulaszek, writing in his blog, Marina Watch Dog Sound Off, said, “My bed was shaking and it woke me up. I heard banging and other noises – I hope there was no structural damage to the towers.”

His readers contributed similar observations. “I was sitting at the table and felt the chair shake,” said one reader. “This has happened here in the past and I always think maybe I’ve imagined it.”

Said another reader, probably tongue-in-cheek, “I thought Marina Towers’ number was up, thought we were finally falling into the river.”

Building owners were encouraged by city officials to check for damage. It’s unknown if there were any inspections at Marina City. Transwestern Commercial Services did not respond to an email on Friday seeking comment.

Of bigger concern to city officials were the 45 construction cranes and 36 skip hoists (a device that lifts construction materials to upper floors) in operation throughout Chicago.

Aftershocks rumbled through the Midwest on Friday, including one with a 4.5 magnitude at 10:20 a.m.